Fukushima News 12/12/14: "Fukushima Exponentially More Dire Than Chernobyl"

Mirrored from MissingSky101 on Dec 12, 2014 * Note from Sky: Magazine Editor’s Final Words: Fukushima exponentially more dire than Chernobyl — Deteriorating plant threatens mass extinction around world — It’s made a deep impression on me recently — You have an obligation to be aware of conditions there http://bit.ly/1BuQ4QA NRA chief: Cementing tunnels will stop inflow Nuclear & Energy Dec. 12, 2014 The chief of Japan's nuclear overseer has inspected the Fukushima Daiichi plant where decommissioning work is underway. Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shunichi Tanaka visited the plant on Friday for the third time in 2 years. He toured the plant for about 4 hours, inspecting each facility at the nuclear complex. In a plant building which serves as a base for decommissioning work, Tanaka said he thinks the safety of the plant has gradually improved. Tanaka inspected barriers around tanks storing contaminated water. Multiple barriers have been added to prevent a recurrence of the incident last year in which more than 300 tons of tainted water leaked away. He also checked whether the new method to remove highly radioactive water from underground tunnels is working. The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, is trying to stop the inflow of contaminated water from a reactor building by pouring cement into the flooded tunnels while removing water from them. Tanaka said the tunnels have been his biggest concern, but the ongoing work seems to be successful. He said people need to understand that contaminated water cannot be stored at the plant forever, and that it should be treated and disposed of. Okuma Town accepts interim storage facilities Nuclear & Energy Dec. 12, 2014 A town in Fukushima Prefecture has decided to accept a plan to build intermediate storage facilities for radioactive waste stemming from the nuclear accident in 2011. The Okuma Town assembly made the decision on Friday after Mayor Toshitsuna Watanabe expressed his intention to accept the plan. Assembly members agreed that the government's proposed compensation for people who will give up their land or property is insufficient, but it has provided a sufficient explanation of the plan. The members also concluded that they have no way but to accept the plan to speed up post-disaster reconstruction. Town authorities want to hold a meeting for residents to explain the decision in January. Okuma is one of the 2 municipalities chosen by the government as candidate sites for the facilities. The other town, Futaba, has not made its position clear. The damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is located in the towns of Okuma and Futaba. The government wants to build the facilities on a 16-square-kilometer site in the 2 towns. Waste transportation is due to start in January. Mayor Watanabe said it is time to make a decision. But he said the town only accepts construction of the facilities and it will ask the central government to sign a safety agreement before bringing in waste. He said the state should also provide support for landowners and other residents. Assembly chairperson Yukio Chiba said the members approved the plan because the mayor told them that he wants to take a step forward. He urged the government to support residents and town authorities. S.Korean experts to visit Fukushima Nuclear & Energy Dec. 11, 2014 Japan's fisheries ministry says South Korea will send experts to Japan to study the validity of a ban on fisheries imports from Fukushima and 7 other prefectures. The ministry said on Friday that 7 experts will visit Japan from Monday through Friday and conduct a field survey related to the ban and other import restrictions. Since September last year, South Korea has banned fish imports from the 8 prefectures that suffered contamination after the nuclear accident in 2011. The country also requires the submission of test certificates if even a trace of radioactivity is found in imports from anywhere in Japan. The experts will visit Fukushima Prefecture on Wed - Thu. They will check how test fishing is being carried out and see how workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant are trying to prevent leaks of contaminated water into the Pacific. San Onofre’s nuclear fuel to be stored underground http://bit.ly/1z4IE7i Lawrence Livermore National Lab to test plutonium using NIF laser http://bit.ly/1BuQ6rK High Level Radioactive Waste Could be Coming to Andrews County. http://bit.ly/1BuQ6rN http://bit.ly/KnFje0 Source: http://bit.ly/1BuQ4QD